Protective horn wraps are often used in the rodeo sport of team roping, to protect a steer's horns, ears and head from damage as a result of the tightening of the rope or lariat around the horns.
Horn wraps generally include a pair of separate, side head pads that are connected to each other when in use by a strap system. The strap system includes a relatively short strap with a buckle, extending from one of the pads, and a much longer strap extending from the other pad. The long strap is configured to be looped around the bottom of the steer's neck and around the steer's horns (e.g., in a figure eight) and then fastened to the buckle on the other strap. An example of this type of horn wrap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,707.
Typically, to apply a conventional horn wrap to a steer it is necessary to place each of the pads over one of the steer's horns, and then fasten the strap system around the steer's head, all while the steer is fidgeting and swinging its head back and forth.
Because the two pads are attached only by the single long strap, if that strap fails or becomes unfastened one or both pads will tend to come off of the steer. The steer may also trip over or become entangled in the long strap, or the strap may get caught on stationary objects. For this reason, and because this type of horn wrap is uncomfortable to the steer, such horn wraps are typically removed from the steer after each roping event or practice.